Kids gain literacy skills by reading to dogs

By JESSICA MAYRER Chronicle staff writer

From a kid-sized table in the back of the Country Bookshelf, Hawthorne School second-grader Annika Champe read a story to “Noodle,” a tiny tail-wagging white dog Sunday afternoon as part of an effort to improve children’s literacy skills.

Annika told Noodle the story of a young girl who came down with a disease that turned her skin into a striped rainbow. The girl became ill from the stress of keeping her big secret, a love of lima beans.

“It is possibly some sort of bacteria,” Annika said, reading from the book, “A Case of the Stripes,” as Noodle rested on a red pillow off to the side.

The program, Reading Education Assistance Dogs, aims to improve children’s literacy skills by providing animals like Noodle to kids so they can read before a nonjudgmental audience, said Nancy Rosen, Montana chapter coordinator for the program.

“They’re not about to correct their grammar or pronunciation,” Rosen said.

The R.E.A.D. program is one of many offered by Intermountain Therapy Animals, which brings pets into a variety of settings, including hospitals, hospices and schools to aid folks facing a variety of challenges.

And while it didn’t appear 7-year-old Annika had any challenges reading, for some kids a dog provides just the reassurance they need to dig into what may be a daunting task. Some make it through an entire book for the first time, aided by a quiet, yet supportive companion, Rosen said.

“How cool is that?” she asked. “It just gives them such a sense of accomplishment.”

Intermountain started the literacy program 1999. Internationally, about 2,000 dog-handler teams are certified through Intermountain Therapy Animals. And R.E.A.D. programs are now up and running at several Bozeman schools including Whittier, Hawthorne, Emily Dickenson and Morning Star, Rosen said.

The program has been bringing dogs to the Bozeman Public Library to act as sounding boards for kids for about six years. But because of the program’s popularity, it’s branching out to local bookstores like the Country Bookshelf and Llama Llama Books, Rosen said.

“She was very excited to come down here today,” said Annika’s mom, Ann Haller. “She loves to read.”

Annika’s house is a bit cozy already, Haller said, and a new furry addition isn’t likely.

“It would get a bit crowded, so it’s nice to read with other people’s dogs,” Haller said.

As for Noodle, she knows lots of tricks and, despite her short legs, is an adept hiker, said handler, Darrel Choate.

“She’s been to the top of Sacajawea,” he said.

She’s a marshmallow of a dog, though, he said, malleable and accommodating. In addition to volunteering for the reading program, Choate and Noodle go to hospices and hospitals, spending time with dialysis and cancer patients.

“It really does bring comfort to a lot of people we see,” Choate said.

Becoming a certified therapy team doesn’t take much time, he said. Both the handler and the dog must pass a test in a hospital setting displaying the animal is obedient and able to interact with people and other dogs under changing circumstances.

And while dogs need to be controllable, he said. “We have dogs that drool a lot.”

Volunteers may choose which setting, whether it is a school, hospital or hospice, they prefer, Rosen said.

“It’s really something fun and wonderful to do, but it’s a commitment of their time and their money,” Rosen said.

But for Annika, it’s pretty straightforward.

“I like reading and I like dogs,” she said.

Jessica Mayrer can be reached at jmayrer@dailychronicle.com or 582-2635.

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